Is it earth or humanity we should worry about?

[CdocZ]

All the time, we hear about scientists saying the earth is dying. But is it the earth, or us just killing our future?

So far, the earth has been through just about anything you can name. It was made out of largely lava. It has been hit by more asteroids and comets then we can possibly think about, many of them huge enough to wipe out just about every major organism. Ice ages have made huge amounts of the earth so cold, that for large periods of time, nothing could be grown there. Even today, vast amounts of land are covered in ice, and also deserts, where anything bigger then a kit fox usually dies of overheating.

What should we be worrying about really? Earth, or humanity?

I say we should be worrying about humanity, it takes ALOT more then what we are doing to do even long term damage (long term being several million years).

EDIT: Clarification: Clean our factories and other thigns up for whose benefit, our's or the earth?

[werty]

weirdest thread ever.....jk

i think we should start plans for moving to another planet

[CdocZ]

weirdest thread ever.....jk

i think we should start plans for moving to another planet

That is the greatest answer-straddling I have ever seen. I am not joking, that was awesome

[taz_rocks_miami]

Well, earth was doing just fine untill man started destroying it's ecosystems little by little. We're the problem here

[CdocZ]

Well, earth was doing just fine untill man started destroying it's ecosystems little by little. We're the problem here

That doesn't really answer the question. Earth obviously is able to keep itself alive.

To clarify, should we clean up our stuff for the earth's benefit, or ours?

[Matra et Alpine]

For earth to be "alive" you have to believe in Gaia, which either contradicts your religion or your atheism

[taz_rocks_miami]

That doesn't really answer the question. Earth obviously is able to keep itself alive.

To clarify, should we clean up our stuff for the earth's benefit, or ours?

I don't understand the question. Clean up our stuff or ours? Isn't that the same thing?

[targa]

...[sighs due to the deepness this thread requires absence}

€

[CdocZ]

For our benefit, or the earth's benefit, not our's as some say.

[CdocZ]

Ok, rephrase again. Scientist's specifically use the word "earth", when they say we have to clean up the facotires. Basically, do you think this should be changed to "humanity's future relies on a clean environment", or not.

You cannot choose between one or the other, as obviously cleaning up for our future will also help the earth. So really, the question is, what do you think the wording should be, as the earth has proven that it can live through pretty much anything. Personally, I think saying "humanity needs help", as that will really make people think more.

[Egg Nog]

How about neither?

Hey, some people claim conservatism works!

[Misho]

I think its Humanity that concerns us more, thats just based on my logic if that we were living on another planet we wouldnt have worried about earth. and even now, if we find a suitable planet and means of transporting everything to this planet, then we wont care about earth.
so i guess its humanity that we should be talking about. BUT with earth having been our home for the all past ages and will continue to be so for a long period of time, then we should also care about it as it's fate is tied to our's. Thats why scientests speak about "earth".

[henk4]

Earth has been going on quite fine for 99.99% of its life time. Only now, during the minute fraction of time of the existence of mankind changes are talking place at an unprecedented pace. This should be worrying because we seem to be unable to stop these changes and we really seem to have no idea (or refuse to see) where developments are heading for.

[clutch-monkey]

i say we stop all humans from reproducing for at least two generations. our numbers will drop, and it will also help the gene pool a little

[Cotterik]

electric road cars would be a start, no more coal-burning, all that stuff politicians blabber about and never actually sort out. I think that humanity is what we should worry about with the likes of nuclear war and pollution, imigration could cause a civil war if it isnt controlled (UK). One of the biggest problems is Religion, humans themselves created it and more or less every war is caused by Religion. Then again, an asteroid the size of the moon could decide to take a field trip to the earth, then we're all fudged..